OLEAtool: An open-source software for morphopalynological research in Olea europaea L. pollen

Abstract

[eng] Pollen plays a key role in reproduction for seed plants. Palynology is the study of pollen and spores with a wide variety of applications, such as the study of past landscapes or the characterization of agronomic cultivars. The onset of the olive tree management and the origin of its domestication in the Mediterranean still remains unclear, despite great advances in methods and interpretation over the last decades. Pollen analysis may help in identifying the distribution and historical trends of this species, but it is still difficult to distinguish between cultivated and wild varieties through pollen analysis. To shed some light into this issue, we have developed OLEAtool, a new extension for the open-source image analysis software, ImageJ. OLEAtool uses image analysis and replicable measurements to standardize and improve pollen morphology studies.